Meet the Tribe
Kevin S Crowder, CEcD, EDP
Founder
Previously: Director, Economic Development & Government Affairs, City of Miami Beach
Kevin Crowder is the Founder of BusinessFlare® Economic Development Solutions, which implements a unique trademarked approach to economic development. He is an IEDC Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) and Certified Entrepreneurship Developer (EDP) whose primary areas of expertise are small business development and entrepreneurial assistance, private capital investment, market research, public-private partnerships, redevelopment agency programs, government affairs and niche revitalization drivers such as live music and craft breweries. He has conducted detailed economic, fiscal and market analysis for business development, investment, and policy issues focused on successful implementation of strategies for economic growth. Kevin is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served in intelligence.
He uniquely understands the policy and intergovernmental aspects of economic development and has significant experience in economic development research, training, planning and implementation throughout municipal organizations. Kevin developed his analytical and leadership skills after college at West Texas A&M University and during his service in US Army Intelligence and US Army leadership programs. He credits his Army service for his collaborative but focused team approach and data analysis skills.
Some of the areas he focuses on are niche revitalization drivers, especially live music and craft breweries. He is a musician that understands how to use live music as a branding strategy that promotes revitalization of other sectors, and his experience includes the Fillmore Miami Beach and the revitalization of the historic Colony Theater through the Save America’s Treasures Program. He has also worked with craft breweries as downtown catalysts and understands the economics and real estate concerns of building and operating breweries. He has worked on site selection and attraction of breweries and created brewery recruitment incentives and assisted with the creation of the first brewery district in Florida.
The highlight of his professional experience includes 17 years with the City of Miami Beach and the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency as the Director of Economic Development and Government Affairs, leading the City’s economic development program and multi-jurisdictional lobbying efforts. Mr. Crowder began his economic development career in 1994 with the South Beach Business Improvement Districts and the South Beach Marketing Council.
Since leaving the City of Miami Beach and establishing the BusinessFlare® brand in January 2013, Mr. Crowder has used the BusinessFlare® approach to help more than 60 communities improve their economic condition ranging in size from 1,500 to over 600,000, and in 2022 he performed economic and fiscal analysis on projects representing more than $5 billion in private sector investment. He is also the President of the BusinessFlare® Academy, a 501c3 not-for-profit dedicated to economic development education for local elected officials.
He is a native Texan and is also the co-founder of Goodnight’s Red River Spice Company. He also formed the BusinessFlare Publishing Group and has written Governing for Economic Development, a layman’s guide to economic development. He is the President of the BusinessFlare Academy, a nonprofit providing economic development training for local elected officials.
Alicia Alleyne, MBA
Operations and Project Manager
Alicia Alleyne’s professional experience includes executive level business management and operations, human resources, real estate administration, special project coordination, marketing and event planning. She has a proven ability to build and maintain business relationships with a diverse team and is proficient at multitasking. She also has extensive coordination, research and analytical skills. Ms. Alleyne provides a broad range of support, contributing to business development, conducting special research projects, and overall operations. She has experience with Florida cities and CRAs, maintaining communications with the City officials, monitoring the CRA budgets and assisting in the facilitation of CRA related economic development activities. As a former adjunct professor at the University of Fort Lauderdale Ms. Alleyne instructed property management and other business related courses.
Camilo Lopez
Strategic Economic Designer
For more than 7 years, Camilo Lopez has developed a broad knowledge in redevelopment, urban planning and design, architecture, city branding, and economic development with government agencies. His experience includes site feasibility analysis, city strategic visioning, master planning, form-based codes, land use and transportation, architectural design, tactical urbanism, art and cultural programming events and project implementation management. Camilo is highly knowledgeable of the planning process, by applying state, county and local codes, ordinances and regulations and all other planning and de- sign chores. He has worked with many municipalities across South and Central Florida and abroad. His projects have successfully attracted millions of dollars and created many jobs at every location he has worked. Camilo is an advocate for Quality of Life, People-Centered Design, New Urbanism, Transit Oriented Development, Tactical Urbanism, and Placemaking.
Stacy Kilroy
Chief Innovation Officer
Previously: Executive Director, Central Western Maine Workforce Development Board
Stacy Kilroy brings over 25 years of experience in public sector funding strategies and project management. Her experience includes grants and government funding for special districts, nonprofits, and local governments. Her expertise and experience include capital improvement projects and infrastructure, workforce and talent development, redevelopment and economic development, housing, transportation, tourism, historic preservation, and health care. She offers a holistic approach to creating vibrant communities with a special focus on preventing fraud and building trust. Stacy is adept at digging deep into the data to find the hidden stories that can help move communities once they are discovered, and linking that data to realistic applications for projects and on the ground economic development.
Farrell Tiller, MBA
Economic Development and Market Research
Mr. Tiller’s passion for analytics and community/economic development stems from his education background at Florida Atlantic University where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in finance. Upon completion of undergraduate graduate coursework, Mr. Tiller began working as an economic development research and market analyst, and has expanded his role to become an Economic Development Project Manager. He furthered his education by achieving a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Florida Atlantic University and his background includes experience in finance and budgeting, operations, communication, consensus building, and event planning. Mr. Tiller’s professional expertise includes market research, analysis and strategy for redevelopment planning, creation of business improvement districts, housing strategies, retail strategies, preparation of economic development plans for business attraction and retention, as well as marketing and communication strategies.
Peter Altman
Tampa Area Project Manager
Previously: Finance Director and Mayor, City of New Port Richey
Peter Altman has the skill sets and institutional knowledge to assist communities in developing strategies based on reasonable objectives through the public deliberative process. He has served on many advisory Boards, including the following; Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (currently serving again), Tourist Development Council, Metropolitan Planning Organization, and Tampa Bay Water. While serving New Port Richey both as Mayor and subsequently as a County Commissioner defending the home rule powers of his City, he developed the leadership skills and governmental knowledge needed to assist other communities. He has once again been elected to the City Council of New Port Richey where he continues to pursue redevelopment and revitalization. His interest in redevelopment is rooted in his lifelong experience living in Pasco County, Florida which has grown from 25,000 residents to nearly 500,000. He continues to focus his attention and support on revitalization efforts needed for vibrant, sustainable cities.
Rachel Bach, AICP
Planning, Land Development Regulations, and Economic Development
Previously: President and CEO, Downtown Toledo Development Corporation
Rachel Bach is a seasoned professional with 24 years' experience in the areas of economic development, housing, redevelopment, transportation demand management, and urban planning with a “hands on” approach to managing projects and staff, a commitment to customer service and a passion for preserving community character while growing active downtowns and commercial districts. She has provided contracted municipal executive and management services in the areas of economic development and urban redevelopment managing all aspects of administration, marketing, capital projects, facilities and maintenance. Past assignments include managing multiple redevelopment agencies providing forensic reviews and reorganization including financial management practices, consulting and maintenance practices and contracts and bid processes. Also provided general planning and zoning consulting services related to redevelopment initiatives and project management for other cities.
Lincoln Walther, FAICP
Planning, Risk Reduction and Disaster Mitigation
Previously: Planning Director, CSA Ocean Sciences Inc.
After 24 years as the Planning Director with CSA Ocean Sciences Inc., Lincoln Walther established his own planning firm in 2014, primarily working with local and state governments across the United States. Over the past 20 years, he has provided specialized expertise in hazard assessment and risk reduction, benefit-cost analysis, and development of actionable strategies, including structural and non-structural measures, and significant agricultural related work. His expertise focuses on long-term recovery, resiliency, hazard mitigation plans, wildfire mitigation plans, flood recovery plans, and post-disaster redevelopment programs.
Kent Bonde
Redevelopment and Financing Strategies
Previously: Redevelopment Director, Miami Beach RDA
Mr Bonde has an extensive and diversified background in project administration, asset management and redevelopment experience. During his 26-year career with the City of Miami Beach, he was responsible for managing a wide variety of development and redevelopment initiatives within the City's City Center Historic Convention Village and South Pointe Community Redevelopment Areas. He led the creation, update and ultimate approval of the City Center Historic Convention Village CRA Plan in 1992 and the CRA Plan amendment in 2001. This Amendment reflected the existing conditions and future plans for the redevelopment area, implemented the preliminary proposed master plan for the 17th Street parking lots implemented and funded community policing innovations and utilized TIF for a business assistance program.
Julio Magrisso
Parks and Recreation and Open Space
Previously: Parks and Recreation Director, North Miami Beach
Julio Magrisso has over fifteen years in the Park and Recreation field as a Director and Assistant Director. His focus and expertise as a Park administrator are in Recreation, Administration and Park construction build-out supervision. He managed all aspects of the Recreation Divisions to include after school programming, summer camps, senior activities, youth and adult sports and special populations. He was responsible for numerous construction projects as either liaison with the CIP Department or project manager of smaller projects completely managed by the Parks Department. He completed over 30 small capital projects in a short 3 year span, all on time and within budget, to include recreation center renovations, park re-lighting and re-surfacing, playground/ tot lot re-building, etc.
Lina Duque
Creative Director
Ms. Duque is a creative director with experience in brand development and management, promotions and product placement, and graphic design. Her creative experience includes cutting edge design for many new establishments in South Beach during the early days of the revitalization of the historic district, and significant experience developing and implementing promotional programs for hotels, restaurants, nightclubs. and public agencies. She has provided creative services to organizations that include Team Bacardi, Estefan Enterprises, the South Beach Marketing Council, the Cardozo Hotel, the Miami Beach Development Corporation, the City of Miami, the Miami Design Preservation League, the Miami-Beach Redevelopment Agency, and many other local public and private organizations. She has a keen understanding of the private sector and their approach to driving business and cash flow through marketing, and the ability to problem solve client issues and quickly respond to requests with viable, efficient, and affordable solutions. She is a native English and Spanish speaker with significant experience as a translator for various types of clients.
Partners
Ken Stapleton and Associates
With over 30 years of urban revitalization and economic development experience, Ken provides urban economic development program strategy and project management services related to university-community partnerships, innovative urban safety programs, public health initiatives, urban mobility projects, urban place management, place branding, and urban redevelopment strategies to a variety of public and private clients throughout the United States and Canada.
Ken is also the President and CEO of the award-winning SafedesignTM Institute, an organization providing innovative design services, communications strategies, training, program evaluation, and organizational development guidance related to real and perceived safety in urban environments. He speaks regularly at national and international conferences about the topic
Washington Economics Group
WEG is a boutique economic consulting firm based in Coral Gables, FL. WEG has been successfully meeting client objectives since 1993 through economic consulting services for corporations, institutions and governments of the Americas. WEG has the expertise, high-level contacts, and business alliances to strengthen your competitive positioning in the growing marketplaces of Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. Our roster of satisfied clients, over the past 28 years, includes corporations, financial institutions, public entities, and non-profit associations expanding their operations in the Americas.
These premier and exclusive services are headed by Founder and Senior Advisor J. Antonio (Tony) Villamil, a nationally recognized economist, with over thirty-five years of successful career as a business economist, university educator and high-level policymaker for both federal and state governments. Tony is a former U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce with over thirty-five years of experience as a business executive and as a senior public official of the U.S. and most recently of Florida.
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